Project 03 of 36
Modular Header
- Company
- C.R. Laurence
- Role
- Product manager, stage-gate lead
- Year
- 2025
- Discipline
- Door hardware
- Status
- Launched, April 2025
- Images
- 7
The companion to DRX Kits. A custom door opening needs a header as well as rails, so DRX customers still had to order a custom header and wait, or fabricate one themselves. The modular header comes in 48" lengths that installers cut to size and splice together for pairs of doors, so an entire opening can be built with no factory lead time.
We reused existing header extrusion, sourced the splice and drilling jig from an outside vendor, and launched 11 SKUs alongside the kits in April 2025.
- SKUs: two sizes, four finishes, splices and a jig
- 11
- Factory lead time for a custom opening
- 0 days
- Stock length, cut to fit on site
- 48"
Overview
- Problem
With DRX, customers were still forced to buy custom headers or work out complicated fabrication themselves.
- Solution
Cut-to-length header channels in 4" and 4-1/2" sizes, with a splice for pairs of doors and a jig that locates closer and pivot preparation.
- Value
Installers save time and labor with a modular system. Temperers no longer wait on CRL manufacturing.
- Sourcing
Headers from existing inventory; splice and jig bought from an outside vendor.
- Market
Glass office market of $500–600M (2021), growing 7–8% a year through 2028.
- Competition
FHC, Assa Abloy, dormakaba.
My role
I ran the modular header as a companion program to DRX Kits on the same gate schedule: defining the SKU set, sourcing the splice and drilling jig from an outside vendor, and aligning the marketing plan so both launched together in April 2025.
Stakeholders I coordinated
- Supplier
- Outside vendor for splices and drilling jig
- Internal teams
- New product development · Product testing · Marketing · Sales and service centers · Sourcing and purchasing · Demand planning · Master data
- Gate committee
- VP Engineering · VP Product Design & Development · VP Sales · VP Marketing · Head of Product & Innovation
Stage-gate progress
- G0 Concept Oct 2024
- G1 Define Nov 2024
- G2 Develop Dec 2024
- G3 Validate Feb 2025
- G4 Launch Apr 2025
- G5 Post-launch Planned
Research
System lineup
Everything an installer needs to build a custom single or double door opening on site.
| Component | Purpose | Variants |
|---|---|---|
| Header channel, 48" | Cut to length for the opening | 4" and 4-1/2"; clear anodized, dark bronze, matte black, brushed stainless |
| Splice | Joins two channels for pairs of doors | 4" and 4-1/2" |
| Drilling jig | Locates closer and pivot preparation | One jig for both sizes |
Challenges and resolutions
-
01
Challenge
Without a header, DRX customers still had to wait on a custom factory part or fabricate one themselves, which undercut the point of the kits.
ResolutionWe reused existing header extrusion in 48" lengths and added a splice and a jig that locates closer and pivot preparation, so a full opening can be built from stock.
Situational analysis
SStrengths
- The first system of its kind: custom door rail lengths made in the shop instead of waiting on the manufacturer
- The header completes the package, cut to match custom DRX rail lengths
WWeaknesses
- Slow market acceptance for a new way of installing door rails
- DRX costs more than the standard DRS system
OOpportunities
- Win customers frustrated by lead times
- Give glazing contractors and temperers more control over their schedules
TThreats
- Can be copied by competitors
- Cost may outweigh the benefit for some customers
Gallery
